


Different (Humanstuck Davekat Fic)

by TesserisAdeia



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, Humanstuck, Schoolstuck, davekat - Freeform, davexkarkat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-22
Updated: 2013-09-11
Packaged: 2017-12-20 23:24:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/893116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TesserisAdeia/pseuds/TesserisAdeia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This fic is based on an RP that I've been doing and I really like the way it's turning out so yeah.<br/>Here it is!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Your name is Dave Strider and my god do you hate high school. You've just moved to a new town from Texas. Your first thoughts on this place?  
"Holy fuck it's cold here."

You sigh as you stop in front of the doors to your new school, adjusting your shades on your face before you walk inside. This will be your second day and you've already found out that it's not going to work out very well for you. You had gotten into a few fights yesterday and now you're pretty badly bruised up. Bro would be pissed if he knew.

Being the idiot that you are, you keep your gaze downwards as you walk and, before you get very far, bump into someone. This earns a wince as they hit your bruises and you lift your head to look at them. Before you stands a short boy around your age with pale, freckled skin, grey eyes, and red hair. He gives you a glare.  
"Watch where you're going, asshole." His voice is almost a growl. You really weren't in the mood for another fight today, so you just back off.  
"Sorry." You shove your hands in your pockets and he looks you up and down, eyes narrowed.  
"... You're weird." He mutters before quickly heading off.  
"Yeah, tell me about it." You sigh and head to your first class. Yesterday you had pretty much skipped most of your classes after getting hit and pushed around as soon as you came in. As you walk into the classroom you head for the back and take a seat there. Your gaze is fixed on your desk as someone else comes in. Not only do you notice that they’re approaching you, but you hear them curse under their breath as they take the desk beside you, that being the only empty one. You glance over a moment to see the kid you’d bumped into earlier. His eyes are pointed at the front of the room so you follow his example. The bell soon rings and the teacher steps in and begins the lesson. You would be lying if you said you were paying attention.  
“Mr. Strider?” You frown internally as she calls your name, but keep your poker face.  
“’Sup?” You respond, earning a scoff from the kid next to you.  
“I realize that you are a new student here, but you are not above the rules. Please remove your sunglasses.” She crosses her arms with a meaningful look. You would argue, but they never listen anyways, so you simply remove them and hang them off the front of your shirt. She nods and goes back to the lesson. Not as many kids were paying attention now though since they saw your eyes. You shift a bit uncomfortably and sigh.

A note is flicked onto your desk from your left and you glance over at the kid next to you. He doesn’t even look at you. With a shrug you nonchalantly open the note and read it.  
“I LIKE YOUR EYES.”  
You tense up a bit and feel a bit of heat creep up to your face as you look at him again. You don’t respond to the note and turn your gaze downwards.  
Another note.  
You sigh softly and open it.  
“ARE YOU ALBINO?”  
You frown for real this time. That term made you uncomfortable but you respond to the note anyways.  
“yes.”  
You pass it back discreetly and sense the bit of triumph emanating from him. This only makes you hunch your shoulders resentfully. He passes the note back.  
“SO YOU’RE NEW HERE.”  
You reluctantly allow a conversation to start.  
“yeah.”  
“WHERE FROM?”  
“texas.”  
“WHAT’S YOUR NAME?”  
“dave strider.”  
He snickers a bit at your name.  
“INTERESTING.”  
“what’s yours?”  
“KARKAT VANTAS.”  
“that’s a weird name.”  
“IT’S GREEK YOU DICKWAD.”  
“chill. does it mean something?”  
“CHILD OF CANCER.”  
“that seems kinda morbid.”  
“IDIOT. THE SIGN CANCER. YOU KNOW, ASTROLOGICAL?”  
“right.”  
Unfortunately, the conversation has to end because of the teacher catching you and ordering you to stop. You then pretend to pay attention until you feel your eyes begin to itch.  
“Fuck…” You mutter and rub at them as they start to water, then lean back and close them when rubbing does nothing for you.  
“You okay?” Karkat whispers to you. You can hear that he’s actually a bit concerned.  
“For now, yes. My eyes just sting a little.” You keep your voice low.  
“Photosensitive?” At this question you glance at him.  
“Yeah. How’d you know?” You raise an eyebrow. He tenses a bit.  
“I just do.” He speaks quickly and looks away. You shrug it off and luckily the bell rings. You put on your shades and gather your things before heading for the door. Karkat quickly heads the other way than you and you shrug it off, trying to find your next class. On your way there, you see someone get punched in the stomach and crumple to the ground. You quickly go to them and find that it’s Karkat. Luckily his assailants ran off.  
“Fuck, you okay?” You help him to his feet.  
“I’m fine.” He snaps and pushes you away, gaze on the floor.  
“Uh, alright.” You frown, then realize you’re still lost. “Hey, can you point me to room 206?”  
He sighs at you. “You’re on the wrong floor dumbass. Go up one flight and it’ll be right there.”  
You feel like an idiot but just nod and leave him alone, making your way there.

When you finally get out of class, you find Karkat waiting outside the door for you, much to your surprise. He doesn’t look at you.  
“Since you’re like a fucking lost puppy in this place, I thought I might as well make you an offer to eat lunch with me.” You smile a bit at this.  
“Sure, why not. Lead the way.” He seems to relax at your accepting of his offer and leads you up to the roof.  
“Are we allowed to be here?” You look around as he fiddles with the door handle until it unlocks and opens.  
“No.” He answers simply and steps out onto the roof. You chuckle and follow. He swings himself up onto the shed over the door. He offers to help you up but you simply climb up on your own. Throughout the lunch period you don’t eat since neither of you have food and you simply talk. When the bell rings you both hop down. Seeing as you had no more classes together, Karkat asks about pesterchum, leading to an exchange of handles before you head your separate ways.


	2. Chapter 2

It doesn't take you long to reach your slightly shabby apartment building. It was about seven stories tall and had a small park right in front of it. And upon one of the swings there, much to your surprise, sat Karkat Vantas himself. With some slight hesitation, you approach him, sitting in the swing beside him and earning a narrow-eyed, suspicious look from him.

"Sup Kitkat." You speak nonchalantly and swing slightly.

"Okay, first off, the fuck did you just call me? Do not compare my name to god damn candy bars." He huffs at you. "Second, why are you here? Are you stalking me?"

"No? Why would I stalk you? I live here."

"In this park?"

"Of course. No, the apartment building." Karkat facepalms at this and glances back at the building, seeming disbelieving.

"You live there."

"Yes?" You raise an eyebrow and he lets out a laugh. "What? We're poor as fuck. We cant afford a real house."

"It's not that. My dad owns that building." He looks at you again.

"Cool. Do you live there too, then?" This question earns you a scoff.

"No. My dad's so poor he can't afford to live in his own building." He sighs.

"Oh. That sucks." You avert your gaze a bit awkwardly and he just shrugs and gets up.

"I'm going home." He starts walking.

"Alright." You stand as well and give a wave before going inside and riding the elevator to the fourth floor, headed to your apartment. As soon as you step inside, you trip on a plush rumped smuppet doll. You curse under your breath and kick it away. That means Bro is all unpacked. Watching your step and avoiding any more mishaps, you make your way to your room. You spend the rest of your afternoon unpacking all your things, most of that time spent on your turntables. As soon as that task is finished, you change into some pajama pants and flop into bed, setting your shades aside and curling up under your covers. Somewhat reluctantly, you close your eyes and let sleep envelop you.

\--

_You awake to find yourself in a very strange place. It's uncomfortably hot, reminding you of your old home. But this definitely wasn't Texas. The ground seemed to be made up of large metal gears and cogs. That which wasn't solid land was bubbling lava. You get pulled out of your thoughts and examination of the land by a low, pain-filled groan that seemed hauntingly familiar._

_"Hello...?" You call out cautiously as you near the source of the sound. You see a figure laying on the ground wearing a black hat, a white, collared shirt, and... Terribly ironic, pointy anime shades. The worst part of it all: there was a sword sticking out of his abdomen and his blood was staining his white shirt._

_"B-Bro...?" Your voice cracks as you slowly approach him, legs beginning to tremble weakly and finally giving out when you near his side, causing you to drop to your knees. His face was twisted in pain, and yet he manages to give you a smirk._

_"Hey lil' man..." He rasps. He lifts his arm a bit to reach for you, shaking violently. You take his gloved hand as you try to fight back tears._

_"Fuck bro..." The words come out in a pitiful sob and he grips your hand tight._

_"Hey, i-it's alright, kid. We both knew this day was gonna come..."_

_"Yeah, but this soon...? In this way?" You scowl. "Bro this isn't fair...!"_

_"Dave, it's gonna be fine... Y-you'll be fine..." He goes into a bout of coughing, causing your panic to rise further and the tears to come streaming from your eyes. When he recovers he looks at you with a smile that takes you by surprise. This time, it was completely and utterly genuine, albeit a bit melancholy._

_"Dave... I'm so proud of you..."  His words make your breath catch and you tense a moment before losing it again, sobs making your whole body shake as tears pour down your face. "I-I-I need you... To stay... Strong. For me."_

_"Bro I-"_

_"You can do it." His expression becomes deadly serious. "Y-you've got it in you, kid... I know you do..."_

_All you can do is nod weakly as you try to quiet your whimpering sobs. He starts to speak again but his words are cut off by more coughing, this round accompanied by blood that you wipe gingerly from his mouth._

_"D-Dave... I love you..." He squeezes your hand again, trying to assure you a last time before his hand loosens and he goes cold. For a moment, you could've sworn that time froze. Everything went silent and you felt nothing for a moment. When time started again, grief hit you like a slap to the face, and everything hurt. You let out  a low wail and fall over his body, burying your face in his still chest as you sob hopelessly. Clenching your fists in his shirt, you weep over his death, blocking out everything else._

_\--_

_  
_You wake up with a gasp, sitting bolt upright. Glancing around briefly, a sense of relief washes over you that it was just a dream, until something wet hits your hand. You look down before feeling your face and finding that you're still crying. The grief that you felt in your sleep stabs into your heart and you fail to choke back your sobs as they start to rack your body, hugging yourself as you tremble. There's a knock at your door and this only increases your crying as guilt for waking your brother piles on as well. He lets himself into your room and gives you a sympathetic look before slowly approaching and sitting at your feet. You can barely control yourself anymore as you lunge at him, hugging him tight around his neck and crying into his chest. He sighs softly and pets your head, trying to comfort you and help you forget whatever was plaguing you this time. No words are spoken as you mourn the nonexistent death of the man who holds you in his arms.

 


	3. Trouble

 

The next few days a school were a similar routine to the first. You and Karkat passed notes through first period, parted ways, met up for lunch on the roof, parted ways, and met up again at the park by your apartment building after school. As you spoke more and hung out, you learned more about each other. Karkat found out that it's always just been you and your brother and you had never met parents of any sort. He found this surprising and seemingly felt bad, but you couldn't really be upset over people who had left you if you'd never seen any sign of them anyways. You learned from him that he was Greek, which made the red hair weird. He only lived with his dad now while his mom had moved back to Greece because she was sick. His dad was unable to pay for her medical bills so she simply stayed overseas with her parents who refused to help support him and his dad for spiteful reasons. Before long, you discovered the reasoning behind his red hair. That being because he, too, was albino. He dyed his hair and wore colored contacts to hide it from others after being picked on for it. Unfortunately, it was already too late and they already knew him as the freak.

  
Throughout conversations and being in each other's presence quite often, you found that you two have quite a bit in common and grew very close in the short amount of time you knew eachother.  
  
One day after Karkat had left you to go home, it was fairly dark already. You were sitting around on your bed boredly until he finally messaged you.

 

  
**carcinoGeneticist [CG] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] --**

**CG: HEY DAVE...**   
**TG: sup karkat**   
**CG: DO YOU THINK YOU CAN HELP ME REALLY QUICK**   
**CG: I KINDA CAN'T WALK**   
**TG: uh okay**   
**TG: why?**   
**CG: I TELL YOU LATER JUST COME GET ME**   
**CG: PLEASE**   
**TG: alright where are you**   
**CG: BEHIND A LAUNDROMAT**   
**TG: yeah alright then**   
**TG: i'll be there soon**

**\-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]**

As soon as you ended the conversation, you told bro you were taking the car and rushed down to the parking lot. Knowing that Karkat had been on his way home when he messaged you, you drove down the way he had gone. You'd never actually been to his house, and he'd never been in your apartment, but you drove along until you found a laundromat and hoped that it's the right place as you hopped out of the car.  
"Karkat?" you called for him as you headed towards the back. To your surprise, he messaged you to tell you he was there. This furthered your worry and you moved faster until you found him. He was leaned up against the wall, holding his ribs with a bit of blood coming from his nose and mouth. Luckily, upon closer look, his lip was split and he'd bitten his tongue rather than the blood having been coughed up as you'd originally thought.  
"Jesus christ what happened to you?" you carefully helped him to his feet, making him wince and groan from pain and he leaned up on you heavily while you brought him to your car.  
"I-I got jumped..." he spoke quietly as you buckled him in and got into the driver's seat.  
"Well we need to get you to the hos-"  
"No." he suddenly had a firm tone as he looked at you. "No hospital.  
"Dude, you're hurt bad. You could have some kind of broken bone-" you tried to talk sense into him but he just continued to object.  
"Dave, I can't afford the hospital.  Just... Take me home. I'll be fine."  
"Nope. If you won't go to the hospital, you'll at least come to my place."  
"What? Why?"  
"Because bro can do at least a little to help you out." You turned the car around and headed for your apartment building then helped him inside and led him to the elevator, which earned you a small groan.  
"What's wrong?" you frowned at him.  
"I just... I don't like elevators..." he didn't meet your gaze.  
"Sorry but you can't do stairs right now so we kinda have to." you walked him in when the doors opened and he stood there tense beside you. You rubbed his shoulder a bit in an attempt to help him relax. He only did this when you stepped out and limped towards your apartment. As soon as you were inside you called for bro and sat Karkat on the couch. Before long bro came in and looked him over.  
"Well shit. What happened?"  
"He got jumped. Can you do anything for him?"  
"I'll try." he goes and gets the first aid kit before returning. He asked where the most pain was which happened to be his ribs. With permission, bro lifted his shirt and found a lack of cuts, but wrapped up his chest to help in case he had a cracked or broken rib. When that was over and done with, you took him back to the car to take him home.  
"... Will you- or, do you want to stay a while?" Karkat asked you when you were helping him to his door.  
"Sure, why not." you helped him a bit but he soon decided to walk on his own when you were inside.  
"I'm on dinner duty tonight, so if you want to help you can." he went straight to the kitchen and you followed, not sure what else to do.

You didn't end up doing much to help, mostly just rapping under your breath to amuse yourself while you watched him cook gyros. Not long after he finished the food, his dad came home and you discovered that he was mute. You helped Karkat set up the table and plate up the food before you sat down to eat with both of them. It was a little awkwardly silent since you had no idea what to say to his dad. After a bit, he signed something to Karkat and they had a short conversation while you watched, completely lost until Karkat turned to you.  
"He asked about how you met me." Karkat relayed the message.  
"Oh. Well, basically, I was being dumb and not watching where I was going so I literally bumped into him." you stated to his dad with a shrug. He signed something else to Karkat that causes him to turn red and furiously reply. This made you chuckle and his dad did the same. Karkat then pouted and hunched in his chair. You and his dad finished your food and he headed upstairs so you helped Karkat clean up dishes, noticing that he hadn't eaten much. You decided not to mention it though. Afterwards, Karkat's dad returned downstairs as you were about to leave, so you wave at him. Before you could walk out, though, Karkat grabbed your arm and spoke quietly.  
"Hey, thanks for helping me..."  
"Not a problem." you shrug it off and he lets go of you. "See you tomorrow?"  
"Yeah." he nods and shuts the door behind you when you leave.

You kinda looked forward to school now.


	4. Things Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to apologize for short chapters. Hopefully I'll be able to make them longer soon.

The next day in school, Karkat is trying to hide the fact that he is in pain. You keep telling him he needs to go to the hospital but he refuses, always saying he can't afford it. It would be great if things were easier than this. He's always sitting there cringing and wincing with almost every movement. During lunch today you do your own little checkup on him. The two of you were laying on top of the shed when you turn to him.

"Hey, Karkat."  
"What?" he starts to sit up but you stop him. "What are you doing?"  
"Just seeing something. Which area exactly hurts?"  
"Right around here. Why?" he gestures to an area of his rib cage, his expression a bit suspicious.  
"Does it hurt to breathe?" you put your hand on the middle of his chest, right on his sternum.  
"A little bit.... Seriously, what are you doing?" his cheeks turn a little pink and you can tell he's a bit flustered, which makes you have to hold back a smirk.  
"Just testing something. Do you trust me?" you don't move your hand away.  
"... I... Guess so...?" he shifts a little, obviously unsure of what you're doing and his face flushes deeper when you lean ever so slightly closer to him.  
"Good." you carefully press on his sternum, making him cry out in pain and swat you away from him, grimacing.  
"What the fuck did you do that for?!" he hits your shoulder more for good measure.  
"I was checking something. Your rib is probably cracked, but since you haven't been coughing up blood you're okay for now." you state plainly with a shrug.  
"Asshole..." he mutters sourly.  
  
You meet up with Karkat after school and start walking towards the park as usual, taking your seats on the swings as soon as you get there. Karkat is silent for a while, so you don't say anything either. He finally speaks after a while of this awkward silence.  
"Hey Dave?" his voice is a bit timid.  
"Mhmm?"  
"Have you ever dated anyone...?" he glances at you but you keep your gaze straight.  
"Yeah. A few girls... A couple guys." you shrug, a little hesitant to state the second part. He seems a little surprised and... Is that relief?  
"Oh. Anything serious?"  
"Nah they all sucked. They all either just wanted to be able to say they were dating someone or were desperate to get in someone's pants."  
"Oh." he frowns at this.  
"What about you?" you look over at him now.  
"Yeah... One guy. It didn't turn out so well though..." he fiddles with his hands and you look away again.  
"That sucks." you sigh a bit. There's another awkward silence before you decide to change the subject by trying to figure out something to do other than sit around and talk. He apparently has no more idea than yourself, so you let out a sigh and move so that your back rests on the swing seat, your head hanging towards the ground so your shades slowly slip off, falling to the bark. You close your eyes.  
"Dave what are you doing?"  
"I'm dead Karkat."  
"What?"  
"I died of boredom." this gets a scoff from him but you don't move.  
"Dave get up." he sighs.  
"I can't. I'm dead." you open one eye briefly.  
"You're not dead." he states, not very amused. You don't say any more to respond so he sighs and gets up, crouching by your head.  
"Dave get up." he pats your face. You stay still and can feel his annoyance with you. After a bit you can sense it ebb away into something else... You're not fully sure what. Then he does something completely unexpected.  
  
He kisses you. Right on the lips.  
  
You gasp in surprise and as you sit up, face flushing, he snags up his backpack and starts running towards his house.  
  
You pursue him a bit, calling after him, but he doesn't turn, just keeps going. As you turn to head up to your apartment, you almost subconsciously bring your hand up and touch your lips.  
  
And as you go to your apartment, you smile.


	5. Don't Bail

**turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] --**  
 **TG: yo karkat**  
 **TG: you better be coming to school tomorrow**  
 **TG: i need to talk to you**  
 **TG: so please dont skip school**  
 **TG: ...**  
 **turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] --**  
 **CG: I'M SORRY**  
  
  
You get ready and head to school as fast as possible the next day. You really needed to talk to him. This shit was urgent. Luckily, you get there pretty early. However, Karkat is nowhere to be seen yet. Maybe he still isn't there? You message him to make sure, asking his location and if he's coming to school. When you get no answer for ten minutes, you sit on the steps leading up to the school and wait patiently in hopes he would come along. It practically scares you half to death when your phone beeps with a new message which you hadn't expected at all. You check it to see that Karkat was there already, much to your surprise. Turns out he's hiding up on the roof. You rush inside and up the stairs, having a little difficulty with the door before you manage to get out. You don't have to do much looking to find him sitting on the edge, legs dangling. With a small sigh of relief that he's there, you move and sit next to him. He doesn't look at you at all. After a while, he finally breaks the silence.  
  
"I'm sorry..." His voice was soft and timid. You try not to stare at him too much.  
"Don't be." You keep your gaze on him anyways.  
"No, I should be. I-I was out of line... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have do-"  
"Why did you kiss me?"  
"Wh-what...?" He glances at you.  
"Why did you kiss me?" You repeat flatly. He takes a while to answer.  
"... Because I wanted to... I'm sorry..."  
"Stop apologizing."  
"But I-"  
"What if..." You cut him off and look away from him. "... What if I said I wanted to kiss you back?"  
This obviously catches him off guard and you can feel him staring at you, so you meet his gaze to find his face is reddening quite a bit. The two of you stare at each other for quite some time.  
  
Then you kiss him. Right on the lips. He tenses up for a bit but slowly relaxes, kissing you back and sighing in relief. It was chaste, but it was amazing. Better than any kiss you'd ever had before. You find yourself reluctant to pull away, but you do it anyways and look at him. He smiles a little at you, blushing quite a bit, and you smile back. He then sighs a bit.  
  
"I don't really want to go to class..."  
"Yeah me neither."  
"Hell, I don't even want to be here." He frowns.  
"We can leave, then. But not now. During lunch would be best." You decide.  
"So we just hide up here until then?"  
"Pretty much."  
  
You end up cuddling for the whole time. You hold him tight with your arms around him while he leans up against your chest, nuzzling you once in a while as you play with his hair. You listen to the bells ring as you wait and finally it's time for lunch. You keep a hold on his hand and sneak out of the school with him, heading for your apartment for refuge for the day. Luckily Bro isn't home, but you hide away in your room anyways, though you just end up spending this time cuddling on your bed. It was definitely the best day you've had so far since you moved.  
  
And you're pretty damn glad he kissed you yesterday.


	6. Secrets

"Dave..."  
"Hmm?" You had practically fallen asleep holding him and cuddling, but now you noticed that he was obviously in a lot of pain. This made you immediately let go of him and sit up. "Shit I'm sorry are you okay?"  
"I'm-" He begins but you cut him off.  
"And don't you dare lie to me." He sighs at this.  
"N-no... Not really..." With this confirmation, you get up and carefully scoop him into your arms. He protests, but you don't listen, leaving your room to tell Bro what's happening. He rushes out with you and drives you to the hospital. As soon as Karkat realizes where your going, he protests more, again talking about how he can't afford it, how his dad didn't know he was hurt, and how he didn't want him to know. He would just feel bad that he couldn't do anything. You eventually shut him up and just state that you and Bro would take care of it. Nurses took him away once you got inside and you sat in the waiting room while Bro took care of the payment at the front desk.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Turns out, Karkat had cracked a rib when he got beat up behind that laundromat and it had somehow gotten progressively worse. Luckily, he hadn't punctured his lung like you'd feared, but it had still broken and after fixing it he had to stay in the hospital a couple days while it was mending. You visited him every day he was there to keep him from getting lonely. Of course, due to the fact that he was away from home a few days and would have to skip a few days of school when he got home, he had to tell his dad. As far as you know, his dad wasn't angry or anything, but Karkat didn't say much on the matter. You went to see him at his house after school on the days he had to skip school, which was a pleasant surprise for him. You were just glad to make him happy.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the day Karkat would be coming back to school, you wait in front of the building to meet him. However, when you go to greet him with a kiss, he pushes you away, making you frown.  
"Whats wrong?"  
"We should probably not let people know that we're a thing... It's bad enough to have them kicking your ass for the albino thing and the gay thing won't help that." He looks down a bit. You just ruffle his hair and start heading inside.  
"That's alright. It's for the best." You look back at him to make sure he's following you and head to your first class before the bell rings. When everyone gets to their seats, Karkat takes your hand under the desks and you lace your fingers with his in response. He smiles a little and you try to pay attention to the lesson, taking notes once in a while. Before long you see him lean back in his chair more and close his eyes. Tilting your head, you pass him a note.  
"you okay?"  
"YEAH. MY EYES HURT." He replies hastily and closes his eyes again. You sigh a little and nonchalantly put your shades on him, making him look at you and write again.  
"BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU?" You just wave him off and lean on you desk, using a hand to shield your eyes from the light without just covering them. His frown deepens and he tries to give your shades back, but you stop him, giving him a look.  
"I'll be fine," he whispers. "At least I have some protection."  
You shake your head and keep your own voice low to respond. "Just wear them. Please."  
"I'll be fine." He makes you take them back and you put them on with a sigh.  
"I'm going to make you wear them when we're outside."  
"Alright fine." He returns his gaze to the front of the room and you shake your head a bit, folding your free hand behind your head. Another sigh is heard from him but he grips your hand tighter and you smile despite yourself. You're reluctant to release his hand when class ends, but you do so anyways and grab your things. He sighs and does the same.  
"I'll see you at lunch."  
"Yeah, see you then." You wave and head to your next class.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

When class gets out for lunch, you find Karkat waiting outside your classroom like usual. He smiles a bit when he sees you and the first thing you do is put your shades on him again. This earns you a sigh as he leads you to the roof.  
"You sure you'll be alright?" He gets the door open and you take his hand. Instead of the shed the two of you sit by the edge of the roof again.  
"I'll be fine." You sit down and lace your fingers with his, pulling him close and kissing his head. "If it gets bad I'll just take them back."  
"I'm holding you to that," he mutters tiredly and cuddles up to your side.  
"Maybe you should take a nap."  
"Mm no. I'd rather not have nightmares while on a roof."  
You frown and look at him. "You get nightmares?"  
"I didn't tell you? Well, I do."  
"I used  to get nightmares a lot, but they don't come as often anymore."  
"Huh. Would it be bad to ask what about?"  
"Well, usually they're about dying." At this he turns towards you slightly, opening his eyes to look at you.  
"Why?"  
"What do you mean why?" You tilt your head a bit.  
"Well, nightmares are usually bred from experience, so did something happen to make you have those nightmares?"  
"Hm. I dunno? But they're really... Vivid."  
"Mine too... If they weren't so lifelike I don't think there would be a problem." Karkat settles back into your side.  
"Yeah..." You sigh. "When I was little, Bro would sleep with me to help me get through them."  
He nods. "I did that with my mom, but my dad made me stop when I was around ten saying I was too old for the stuff."  
"Bro started saying that stuff when I was about that age, but I don't think he actually wanted me to be able to deal with it myself."  
"Why not? I thought you guys didn't like to show emotion and stuff."  
"When it's just me and him, it doesn't matter as much." You shrug. He nods a bit and rests his cheek on your shoulder. You rest your own head against his and close your eyes. The two of you sit there quietly for a while before he speaks up again.  
"Thanks for not hating me," he mumbles and you hug him a bit tighter.  
"You don't have to thank me."  
"But I do, because you're the only one, remember?" He leans up and kisses your cheek. "So thank you."  
"Yeah okay. You're welcome then." You smile and press your forehead to his. He bites his lip a bit before saying more.  
"Is it alright for me to say I love you?" He murmurs uncertainly. "I mean, I know we haven't been dating that long, but..."  
You find yourself blushing slightly and can't help but smile. "Only if it's okay to say I love you too."


	7. Stubborn

"Keep those on."  
"You said if it gets bad, you'd take them back. So take them back."  
"Exactly. It isn't bad yet."  
Currently, you are arguing with your boyfriend about your photosensitive eyes. He's impossibly stubborn and refuses to keep your shades on despite what you say. He tries again to hand your shades over.  
"Karkat."  
"Dave."  
"Put them on."  
"No. You need them."  
"You need them more."  
"No, I don't. I still have a few more weeks before these wear out completely."  
"But they still hurt even with your contacts."  
"Well, yeah..."  
"So wear these."   
"But what about your eyes?"  
"I'll be fine." You take the sunglasses and try to put them on him. He refuses. "Karkat."  
"Dave." He crosses his arms. A lot of the effect is lost, though, since he can't glare at you with his eyes shut.  
"Jesus fucking christ, Karkat! Why are you so stubborn?" You raise your voice a bit out of annoyance.  
"Because that's how I am. Just fucking put them on."  
"No." You hold them out to him still, only to be ignored as he turns his head away. This earns a sound of frustration from you. "God dammit there's just no winning with you is there."  
"M'fraid not." He mutters softly and you turn away from him.  
"Whatever." You grumble and cover your eyes with your free hand. Both of you sit in silence for a while until he takes your shades carefully and puts them on, making you relax. You keep your voice quiet when you speak again.  
"Karkat."  
"Dave." He speaks just as quietly.  
"I love you." You look at him and relax further when he smiles and turns to you again.  
"I love you too."

______________________________________________________________________________________  
A/N:  
Oh yay another short chapter. Gomen.  
Thanks for putting up with me.  
-Tesseris


	8. It's not real

You and Karkat made plans to hang out at your house after school, so you find yourself waiting, impatient and bored, for the final bell. Then, mixed in with all that, you're worried about Karkat and his eyesight because he made you take your shades back for the last classes. You considered not wearing them anyway, but what good would it do if both of you went blind? A poke to your shoulder drags you out of your head and you make your worried expression go into the usual pokerface as you look over. The girl next to you smiles and gives a little wave. You're not sure what she expected from you but all you do is give a single wave back before looking back towards the front. Of course, she only nudges you again, making you have to hold back a sigh. Begrudgingly, you look at her again and thus begins the whispers.  
"What?"  
"You're, like, new here right? What's your name?" Oh god she has one of those voices. Keep it cool, Strider.  
"Strider. Dave Strider. Or MC Strider, as the cool kids call me."  
"Why MC? That's silly and has nothing to do with your name." She giggles and you roll your eyes. Luckily your sunglasses hide it. "Anyways, my name is Ariana Fowler."  
"Cool." You turn your attention to the teacher again in hopes she'll leave you alone.  
"Where'd you move from?" Well that plan went straight to shit.  
"Houston." You don't so much as look at her. Can't she see you're not interested in her or anything she has to say? Okay, you have to admit to yourself - that was just plain asshole-like. "Texas."  
"Really? You don't have an accent. And you're not, like, tan at all either."  
"I choose not to have an accent and I'm albino."  
"Pff good one. Everyone knows humans can't be albino!" Dear god.  
"Right. Ha ha." Your voice is laughing but everything else about you is trying not to emanate discontent right now. This earns another giggle from her, louder this time. The teacher shushes her and you barely manage not to smirk. When the bell finally rings you practically leap from your seat and throw your stuff into your backpack before rushing out of the classroom. You can hear Ariana calling out for you to wait up but nope. No way that's happening. You just really want to see Karkat right now. You relax considerably when you see him leaned up on the wall by the doors and it takes practically all your self control not to kiss him or hug him or even take his hand. Though, you do notice him rubbing at his eyes, so you offer up your shades. He sighs but takes them anyways, which makes you smile a little.  
"Good boy. Now c'mon." You head out the doors with him in tow. Once both of you are a ways away from the school, Karkat moves closer and takes your hand, so you intertwine your fingers with his. It isn't too long a walk to your apartment, so it's n sight before long.  
"So... Do we have any plans or are we just winging it?"  
"Well, if you got nothing in mind, we're winging it."  
"Winging it it is." He chuckles a bit and you smile more. It was nice when he laughed. When you lead him into the apartment building, he tugs you towards the stairs. Assuming he's alright to go up them, you oblige and follow him up.  
"Thanks..." he murmurs. You acknowledge this with a little nod and soon reach the fourth floor. "Hey, do you have any food? I'm actually kinda hungry."  
"Yeah I'll find you something." You unlock the door and lead him in as he kisses your cheek, thanking you again. As you head to the fridge he heads for the couch, but ends up running into the counter and swearing a few times.  
"You okay?"  
"Mhmm." He flips off the counter and flops onto the couch. You warm up some pizza and grab him a soda, as well as an apple juice for yourself. When you join him he takes the food.  
"Oh sweet." To your slight surprise, he eats right away and actually finishes pretty quick. He then moves to lean on the armrest and drapes his legs over your lap. "So, what do you wanna do?"  
"I dunno. Whatever you want? Don't really care."  
"Hm. We have a stalemate." He sighs a bit and you set your juice down.  
"C'mere." He looks at you a bit confused.  
"Hm?" At this you open up your arms and adjust to be leaned back against the armrest.  
"Come heeere. Closer." He rolls his eyes at you and sets his soda down before scooting over to you. You wrap your arms around his torso and hold him close. When he smiles it makes you do the same and he nuzzles into your neck while you adjust so both of you are laying back more.  
"So... Does bro know we're dating yet?"  
"Probably. I can't keep anything from him."  
"Well, I'm glad he's not homophobic or anything." This makes you laugh a bit.  
"Dude he practically encourages me to be gay. Probably mostly to mess with me, but still."  
"What, is he gay too?"  
"I actually don't know. He doesn't ever bring anyone home or talk about his love life."  
"Weird." He snuggles up to you and takes your shades off, which you snag and set off with your drinks.  
"Yeah well bro is weird."  
"I figured that much out." He chuckles and you nuzzle him and kiss his head. He closes his eyes and relaxes. "Hey, you mind if I nap or something?"  
"Nah not at all."  
"Sweet," he mumbles and cuddles into you more, so you hold him closer. With a deep, content sigh, he dozes off at least a bit. Once he seems to be pretty relaxed, you close your own eyes and allow yourself to start drifting off as well. After about an hour, you've fallen into a much deeper sleep. Even so, you can faintly feel Karkat shift awake and hear your front door open. Karkat presses against you more and Bro chuckles softly before walking off to his room. Karkat then lets out a relieved breath and relaxes against you, at which point you've begun to dream.  
______________________________________________________________________________________  
You open your eyes and look around. You're back on that weird planet with all the lava and gears everywhere. Bro isn't here this time, though. With a sigh of relief at that, you wipe your brow and start walking around. Why is it so hot here? Oh well. You look down at yourself and find yourself in odd clothes. Is that... Are you wearing a cape? Capes are actually pretty damn cool, so you can't complain. But what is this weird broken sword in your hand? This must be a really shitty sword. You can't find it in yourself to drop it though. You can just sense that it's somehow powerful. Before you can start wandering again, you hear a low growl behind you and slowly turn around. You find yourself barely five feet away from a scary as fuck black werewolf thing. He has one arm and a weird shell looking body. His head is that of a dog and he has wings. He pins his ears to his head and narrows his eyes, one of which is scarred. With a menacing snarl, he pulls a sword out of his stomach and you instinctively raise yours. Thus starts the battle. He lunges at you and you dive out of the way. But then he teleports. Right back in front of you and you block his strikes. In his frustration he disappears and, like an utter idiot, you lower your sword. Suddenly, theres a sharp pain in your stomach. He's right in front of you and there's a sword through you. Oh god that's a lot of blood... He tears the sword out and you crumple to the ground. Blood bubbles up into your throat and you gurgle as you just choke on it. He takes your shades and flies off. You grip your stomach as everything starts to fade to darkness and the pain lessens...  
______________________________________________________________________________________  
You jump awake on your couch with a cry of pain and immediately grip your stomach. To your dismay, your voice cracks a bit as you speak. "F-fuck..."  
Karkat is quickly sitting up with you, hugging you close and murmuring comforting words to you. Releasing a ragged breath, you lean on him heavily as you lift a shaky hand from your stomach to look at it, completely expecting it to be covered in blood.  
"You're alright, Dave. Nothing happened. You're alright." Karkat kisses all over your face, trying his best to make it all better. You grip onto him tight but look away and wipe at your eyes a bit. He sits back to hold your cheeks and look at you, wiping away stray tears that managed to escape. He smiles gently and kisses your face more, continuing to mutter words of comfort. When you look into his eyes, you finally crack, quickly burying your face in his chest to muffle the sob that comes out of you. His grip on you just tightens and he rubs your back, kissing at your neck and humming until you can calm down and wipe your eyes.  
"God dammit..."  
"It's alright, Dave. I don't mind." He keeps you close until you pull away from him and look down at your stomach, putting your hand on it again and looking at it afterwards, making sure there really was no blood.  
"Hey." Karkat takes your hand and makes you look at him. "Shit like that's not going to happen, alright? I won't let it."  
"Karkat.... It... It hurt like it was... It was real..."  
"Its not real. It's not real and you're fine." He kisses your forehead. You hug yourself and lean against him. One of his hands stays on yours while the other cards through your hair gently. You just sit like that a while, taking deep breaths and closing your eyes tight.

______________________________________________________________________________________  
A/N:  
God this one was a lot longer. I was not pleased with the briefness of the last one, but I think this a lot better, right? I hope so.  
I started to do a different nightmare idea but had to start over with the Bec Noir stabby thing. I think I'm still pleased with it so yeah.  
Thanks for putting up with me.  
-Tesseris


End file.
